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Update a rig from new guide

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#1

Hello guys !

I’m new on this forum and new using the really helpful mGear tools.

I creates guides from bottom to start and then created a rig. But now I see that I want to add some joints (the control component) and change some chains (replace some with more section).

So is there a way to update the rig without loosing the skin I’ve already done ?

PS: I tried to copy the weight skin but it does not work with all my meshes.

Thanks

#2

You should always be able to delete the rig and rebuild. That’s basically how mGear is designed.

There is a feature to export skinning as a jSkinPack which is a list of skin files. And the skinning gets saved as jSkin files, which saves all the weights.

When you rebuild the rig, you can use a POST script that imports all the weights.

This guide that I wrote is out of date a bit, but it still covers the basic workflow: https://rigmarolestudio.com/mgear-rigging-workflow/

And an example skin import POST script I shared:

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#3

@chrislesage we need to add you guide to the official docs! :smiley:

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#4

And I need to catch up and update it and expand it. :slight_smile:

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#5

Hi and thanks for the reply !

I already tried to export the skin ( I did not do the export skin pack, just the export skin) and when I tried to import it on the newly built rig from my new guides, the skin is not correct.

I thought that maybe its because I added joints.

Is the export skin pack change something compared to the export skin ?
And the Post script is just to do it quicker right ? Is it fine if I do it manually ?

#6

Yeah it’s fine if you do it manually.

There are some different reasons why the skin might not be correct. Are you trying to import the skin when there is already a skinCluster on the geometry? This can cause the geometry to collapse. Delete the old skinCluster before trying to import again.

When you add joints, by default, Maya will either try to reassign the weights, OR it will lock the influences you add. (That depends on your add influence options in Maya.) So you might have to unlock the weights before you can edit them properly. Otherwise, in ordinary circumstances, you can add joints without problem.

Otherwise, can you explain how the skin is not correct? What exactly is happening?

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#7

Alright, I didn’t know that I should unbind the skin and then import the skin.

Now it works better. But when I do that on the geomtry of the hands, it says that the numbers of vertex is not the same. And I checked, but the numbers are the same…

#8

Can you please post the actual error message? And do you have any other deformers or history on your hands geo?

#9

The error message is: # Warning: Vertex counts do not match. 3024 != 3020 #

On the geo, I do not have any deformer or history… It works on every other geometry, I don’t see what is wrong with the hands

#10

Hello @Gylour

This error appears when you are trying to apply a previously saved skin file into a topology that changed. Something changed on the model geometry since you first exported the skinning of the mesh.

#11

Hi Jerome,

The problem is that when I copy the skin, then unbind/delete history and directly try to import the skin, the warning still appear.

I don’t see how something could change.

Is that possible that I do not export the skin well ?

#12

Can you please check in the attribute error, and look carefully. Do you have 2 shapeOrig nodes in your history stack?

Are you willing to share a scene, with at least your hand geometry, plus a jSkin file that I can look at?

  1. I have seen some instances where a geometry can have 2 shapeOrig nodes. And perhaps one is an old version of your geometry that is confusing the export script.
  2. There is a possibility there is some kind of geometry glitch, like non-manifold geometry that is causing the vertex count to appear incorrect to the export script.
  3. There is a chance there is some obscure problem like a naming conflict that you are not noticing. Is the name of your geo unique?
  4. There is a chance there is a bug we can fix in the export or import script.
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#13

Thanks a lot @chrislesage, I checked the outiliner and find out that there was an old version of my hand hidden in a group with th same name. Now that I deleted it, it works better (perfectly in fact) !

I can go bakc to my skinning :smiley:

Thanks again to every one who answer and helped me through